Project budget alerts

You give a project a limit, either a number of hours or an amount of money, and the tool compares it with the time tracked. As the project approaches the limit, it sends a warning to you or the project owner. Toggl is an example of a tool that offers this.

Projects usually go over budget slowly, and the overrun is found when the invoice is written. An early warning gives you a chance to talk to the client, change the scope or adjust the plan. It matters for agencies, freelancers and teams with fixed-fee or capped work. If you bill hourly with no cap, tracking is more useful than alerts.

• At which points can you trigger an alert, for example at half or at ninety per cent.
• Who gets the alert, and by which channel.
• Can you set budgets in hours and in money.
• Can a budget reset monthly for recurring work.